BONNERS FERRY — Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, Boundary County residents gathered Friday evening to remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost that day, honor the first responders who ran toward danger and ensure the stories of their courage and sacrifice continue to be told. 

The annual Boundary County 9/11 Memorial Observance was held Sept. 11 at the Boundary County Fairgrounds pavilion, bringing the community together for a ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks. 

The observance included the presentation of the colors by the Boundary County Fire Rescue Honor Guard, the Pledge of Allegiance, national anthem, prayers, readings, the tolling of bells and a period of silence. 

Chaplain Len Pine told those gathered that he had originally prepared his own remarks for the ceremony, but changed his plans after receiving a remembrance the night before from firefighter Tom Chaney, who is away from the community fighting fires. 

Chaney titled his piece, “Never Forgotten: Let’s Roll Once More.” 

“Twenty-five years ago, the sky turned black over New York, over the Pentagon, and over a field in Pennsylvania,” Chaney wrote. 

In the message, Chaney recalled not only the lives lost but the actions of those who responded during the attacks — firefighters climbing the stairs of the Twin Towers, passengers aboard Flight 93 fighting back and strangers helping one another through the dust and darkness. 

Chaney focused on the importance of continuing to tell the story of Sept. 11 as more time passes, and more young people grow up without their own memories of that day. 

“Tell the stories again. Speak the names. Teach the children why men and women ran into the fire,” Chaney wrote. 

A central portion of Friday's ceremony was the tolling of the bell in remembrance of those killed at each of the sites attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. 

American Airlines Flight 11 and the North Tower were recognized, followed by United Airlines Flight 175 and the South Tower, American Airlines Flight 77 and the Pentagon, United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania, and New York first responders. 

The statistics were read during the ceremony. A total of 2,977 victims were killed in the attacks, including 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York City police officers, 37 Port Authority police officers and 55 military personnel. 

The remembrance also recognized those who survived Sept. 11 but later died from illnesses and other causes related to the attacks and their aftermath. 

Attendees were then asked to raise illuminated glow sticks as the pavilion observed 50 seconds of silence, representing approximately one second for every 100 lives being honored during the ceremony. 

The evening's closing prayer again turned attention to the people who responded when the attacks occurred, and those who continue serving their communities today. 

“In the darkness of that day, we witnessed remarkable acts of courage and sacrifice,” the prayer stated, recognizing firefighters, police officers, emergency medical personnel, dispatchers, military members, chaplains, healthcare workers, volunteers and ordinary citizens who placed themselves in harm's way to help others. 

The prayer also remembered the families whose lives were forever changed, along with survivors and first responders who carried physical and emotional scars in the years following the attacks. 

As the 25th anniversary observance came to a close, the message returned to one repeated throughout the ceremony: as the years since Sept. 11 continue to pass, remembering the lives lost also means remembering the courage and sacrifice shown that day. 

“Teach the young what we almost forgot,” Chaney wrote. “Never forgotten. Never again silent.”